


Me, my body and I

by Yamayuandadu



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Introspection, Literary References & Allusions, Loneliness, Love at First Sight, Mythology References, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 08:49:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21491605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamayuandadu/pseuds/Yamayuandadu
Summary: No matter what Keiki crafts, a spirit will come to inhabit it. Even if she doesn't expect it.A story about the first meeting between a spirit who wanted a body, and a god who wanted to stop feeling lonely.
Relationships: Haniyasushin Keiki/Joutouguu Mayumi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by fanart by tumblr user Phantomnyx: https://phantomnyx.tumblr.com/post/187024826875 and by twitter user FEIT: https://twitter.com/2507605626_feit/status/1177220496850468864
> 
> Keiki's referenced genealogy follows the Nihon Shoki, rather than Kojiki, version; the quote about haniwa is from there, too.

There's no single theory about the origin of spirits. While many attempts at properly organizing their taxonomy were made, none can be considered fully comprehensive.

The lawmakers employed by the Ministry of Right and Wrong, the highest authority on the matters related to all things and entities dead, dying, disembodied and moribund, initially opted to assign the label of “phantom” to every entity which did not possess an easily defined body.  
  
Decades of customary synods in the Ministry capital of Youdu, supplemented with arguments, lobbying and at least one minor border conflict, failed to produce a more nuanced system. The only development was an official separation of these corresponding to deceased individuals from these born from desires or through even more esoteric means.  
  
This distinction was, naturally, a prime example of legal fiction, and spirits from the second category were not consulted when it was made. To be fair, most of these undefined stray spirits themselves possessed no ability to comprehend any debates pertaining to their nature. Many didn't possess even as much as a defined personality, or the ability to think.  
  
They simply drifted from place to place in the broadly understood afterlife, ignoring administrative borders between various hells and other realms, often eventually simply disappearing some day. Few desires were strong enough to sustain an existence alone for a prolonged period of time.  
  
Of course, in addition to representative examples perfectly matching that description, outliers always existed.  
  
One such outlier, residing for as far as she remembered in the forsaken depths of the realm of beasts, was currently deeply invested in observing something she had never witnessed before.  
  
She had no name. No body. No real memory of her origin. What she did however have was uncommonly strong sense of self – not just for a disembodied spirit. She was nebulous for now, sure, but in a way she was absolutely certain about. And, rather importantly, she had expectations regarding a potential corporeal form. Any spirit who was uncertain what they expected faded away much faster.  
  
As she just realized, she also possessed a keen interest in a variety of bizarre objects stored inside a mysterious chamber which she reached after phasing aimlessly through deeper and deeper level of the beast realm's sprawling metropolis. She knew the factions controlling it had many secrets, but never expected they would be of personal interest to her in such a way. Years of existing here heavily implied it's for the best she went unnoticed by them.  
  
Truly the most fascinating discoveries aren't necessarily hidden particularly far away.  
  
The nameless spirit couldn't quite put it into words in her thoughts, but something about the artifacts there seemed... alluring.  
  
It felt natural for a spirit of the same kind as her to reside within them. If she was more well-versed in religious affairs, she'd likely think of it as her optimal goshintai, despite only being a kind of divine spirit in the broadest possible sense.  
  
In a way they were something she craved all along but was unable to get until now. A way to cement her sense of self, and make her form resemble the one she desired more closely.  
  
Many kinds of spirits are compelled to dwell into specific objects or to obtain a physical form through other means, obviously. Even properly ascended divine spirits, the indisputably highest class among them, could be convinced to inhabit the right kind of ritual object, or influence their followers to provide a specific one.

  
This desire was by no means uncommon.  
  


* * *

"In tombs haniwa must be stood, and no injury committed on any man."  
  
So said the imperial edict which defined Keiki's life. Or a faith-based imitation of life. As the child of preexisting gods she was technically never alive in the mundane sense of this word. It made forming meaningful connections quite difficult, even without taking any other factors into account.  
  
She suggested the aforementioned edict herself, in equal parts out of concern about the older funerary customs and the need to expand her role as a sculptor god. A god who ceased seeking ways to stay relevant would inevitably vanish so it was for the best to insert oneself wherever possible before that could become a genuine risk.  
  
For many gods this came easy. They kept piling up attributes, titles and, as of late, gongen claims, taking one identity after another, or multiple of them at once, without much trouble. She was sadly unable to replicate it, no matter how hard she tried. Only her single-minded passion for her craft could prevail in the long run— which has, tragically, proven to almost be her undoing.  
  
No tradition is eternal, and the gradual abandonment of the burial mounds and associated paraphernalia has proven to be disastrous for her cult. No amount of idols erected in a god's name can help if the original purpose which made people pray to them no longer existed, and a new one didn't arise. The network of workshops delivering haniwa to all interested parties doubling as the precursor of her current faith grid gradually faded away.  
  
Desperate times called for desperate measures. She decided to obey the first call she heard, as it was becoming more and more clear that being picky about it will leave the world with one sculptor god less. The art world couldn't suffer such a loss.  
  
As it sadly turned out, the realm into which she was summoned was inhospitable and largely devoid of people interested in the fine arts, but she managed to turn the situation around in her favour, at least to a degree.  
  
A god's duty is to follow expectations, and the inhabitants of this wretched place certainly had a plenty of them. Living up to that took a lot of work, but Keiki could wear her head high, fully aware that no request went unfulfilled. Her abilities, obsolete in the world of the living, turned the former garden into an effective machine, where every self-declared cog could work to their full potential.  
  
This mindset seemed odd to her at first, but after all what is any stable society if not a well-oiled mechanism? The inhabitants were fine with her aesthetic vision, which helped with getting used to it.  
  
At the core of the system she was tasked with building were the new haniwa, once again prepared to shield the death. Their introduction considerably improved the efficiency of the many industries of the entire domain, on top of guaranteeing unparalleled stability.  
  
The only dangers in the realm of beasts were spiritual, and a spiritual being is nothing against a corporeal one. Especially against these formed to ward off malicious spiritual interference in the first place.  
  
The one remaining issue was that to keep the faith flowing and maintain the elaborate system powering her kingdom, she had to appear in public. This reduced the time available for personal artistic pursuits.  
  
Tragically, despite being animated by stray vulgar spirits empowered by redirected faith, the idols weren't particularly great speakers. They lacked the will needed to be anything more than guards and repositories for faith, and protested against any deviation from the norm in their design. The absence of initiative and accident-prone behavior were an issue, too. Any damage could be repaired, of course, but greater efficiency would be better suited for this realm.  
  
If only someone with more charisma was around to take care of directly commanding the hapless constructs, leaving Keiki with the freedom to focus on designing more and more elaborate goshintai forms instead...  
  
While all of these concerns were significant for the mundane day to day affairs of her domain, she didn't pay attention to them now. Late at night, she could forget about items necessary for her subjects to prevail and prosper (prosperity defined by the rules of a forsaken hell realm was, naturally, relative) and instead focus on personal projects.  
  
After weeks of slow, but steady progress her current one was almost finished. While the haniwa constructed for the sake of defending the human spirits were essentially mass produced and didn't require much planning, this sculpture was a considerably more involved project. A testament to her long, fruitful career and wide variety of artistic inspirations, absorbed during many travels all over the archipelago and beyond.  
  
She poured all she could into it, every single art she mastered, and a couple she was uncertain about her proficiency in but nonetheless wanted to try out. Naturally, the core idea was derived from her favourite crafts, the haniwa. The sacred process was supplemented by rigorous study of earlier, similar objects, and their continental counterparts.  
  
But there was much more to it. Carried by a secure stream of faith delivered by the simulacrums held in her old workshops, she was able to travel much further than most other gods, who avoided having any portrayals of them made and exclusively relieved on worship delivered directly to them.  
  
She studied the methods of the sculptors in far off Gandhara and in the lands from where the new gods came to spread the words of a mortal prince said to be the one to attain the truest form of enlightenment. In a coastal city she meet with merchants from an empire across the ocean, who introduced the idea of painting statues to her.  
  
The almost finished face of the newest work was meant to serve as a callback to these profoundly educational events. She was unable to travel now, but the memories lived on. The joy of creation manifested in many different ways among disparate human communities of the world, and Keiki hoped to be a conductor for as many of them as possible.  
  


* * *

While no two objects stored in the mysterious vault looked the same, it was easy to notice certain patterns after spending at least some time among them.  
  
Similar decorations, matching limited color palette, certain minor imperfections here and there. Their combination was almost like a signature of the artist creating them. And, simultaneously, a powerful binding sigil resonating with the needs and desires of the spirit carefully evaluating them.  
  
Many of the potential host bodies seemed appropriate, each in a different way. None of them were perfect, though, prompting her to look further and further.  
  
Once the opportunity to finally satisfy the desire at the core of her existence could actually be fulfilled, it only made sense to spend these additional few moments making sure she'll pick a perfect, rather than just reasonably well fitting, body.  
  
She passed by piles of swords, mirrors, bells, jewelry, and dozens upon dozens of statues arranged in concentric circles, seeking the right one.  
  
Finally, at what seemed to be the center of the vault, she found what she was looking for. There was no mistake, the perfect body, the answer to all her woes, was right there. It was exactly as she imagined herself; the antiquated armour was a nice bonus.  
  
And right next to it was... something, or rather someone, at least equally exciting.  
  
A cursory glance was enough to tell that this person had to be the creator of all the objects which were the subject of the spirit's awe for past few hours. All the repeating motifs were present on her clothes – the spirals, the puzzling headwear, the tear-shaped pendants...  
  
She picked up a small brush from a nearby table and applied some red pigment to the statue's cheeks.  
  
The disembodied entity didn't even realize at first that she started following the hands of the sculptor with her eyes – or rather, with what would be her eyes if she had anything resembling a human face.  
  
These hands were behind everything stored here, there was no mistake. They were thus capable of entrapping spirit within matter, of making the pathetic existence of a forgotten amorphous existence whole.  
  
They were the hands of a saviour.  
  
If the nameless visitor had a heart, it would start beating faster. As she possessed no internal organs and only a vague idea how feelings and emotions are intended to work, she simply started drifting closer, motivated in equal parts by the need for a body and by a newfound second desire: to get closer to the person who could let her fulfill the original one.  
  


* * *

While Keiki's artistic output was largely just a sum of the influences she absorbed from human art, there was at least one more component crucial for the creation of most of her works, and this specific statue in particular.  
  
This key ingredient was loneliness. No other emotion defined her life to a comparable degree.  
  
Allegedly everyone was lonely on some level any every interpersonal connection was fleeting. Keiki was uncertain if that was universally true, but she was certain that so far it did work this way for her.  
  
Her parents, the creator gods Izanagi and Izanami, did not care much for the offspring who failed to live up to their expectations. The successful were elevated to the highest positions among the whole pantheon, ruling over the sun, the moon and the stormy sea, but the rest could consider themselves lucky if they didn't end up in pieces or tossed into the waves.  
  
This environment didn't foster healthy sibling bonding, so it was no surprise she was unable to stay in touch with her brothers and sisters— even those who, like her, had never received a clear sign of parental approval. Last time she heard from the two of them, one was invoked as a firefighter and the other ran a profitable network of shrines doubling as smelting furnaces. These careers seemed stable, but so did hers back then.  
  
Human followers acquired later on in her life were marginally easier to deal with, but few were able to grasp the true scope of her ideas. And they lived for too short to partake in most long term projects, or provide a true sense of companionship. Perhaps this in part motivated her decision to travel as much as she could. Constant stream of new people, experiences and works of art meant she had no time to think about how shallow her link with the mortals worshiping her was.  
  
The existence in the realm of beasts was similarly defined by isolation. Attempts at establishing contact with the other powers reigning in it failed – to them, she was an alien, incomprehensible entity.  
  
To the spirits who summoned her viewed her as a mean to a specific end, whose commands were to be obeyed, but who did not matter much as a person. After all, the faith was directed to the idols she created first and foremost – it was the act of creation that mattered, not the person completing it. And the whole ordeal was more or less a business arrangement, not a display of genuine mutual trust. Odds were high that if there were other gods to pick from she'd be discarded even more quickly than in the land of the living before.  
  
While the haniwa certainly appreciated her role in the development of their new lives, they lacked the emotional capacity her needs required. She tried bringing them here, to her workshop, but they were confused by its purpose.  
  
The only answer to her problems seemed to be escapism. Continuing her travels was impossible for now, as to reach earth she would have to cross the well-defended border of hell, not to mention the risk of her domain collapsing in her absence. Thankfully, indulging in the fine arts were still an option.  
  
A specific motif she enjoyed was the courtly fashion of the brief age of prosperity she experienced when her haniwa were in high demand. The elaborate lamellar armor, the baggy clothes, the richly detailed bronze weapons...  
  
She just couldn't grasp why women didn't wear them. This minor historical inaccuracy was no issue, though. While other haniwa were supposed to met very specific demands of potential worshipers, the one she was working on currently was only meant to temporarily fill a hole in her heart.  
  
The shape of the hole was somewhat hazy and could be broadly described as something halfway between “loyal retainer” and “best friend”. Both these institutions seemed to be crucial for the entourages of nobles and clergy who used to contract the workshops dedicated to Keiki back in the day. It also seemed to her that such a bond was a necessary prerequisite for even deeper ones. These that were able to keep loneliness at bay for good...  
  
Naturally, there was no hope that this specific sculpture would be brought to life by the usual ceremony. It didn't look right and would likely fail to attract the interest of the human spirits, whose belief was necessary to make the hollow clay bodies and the ubiquitous vulgar spirits into one. The latter generally lacked strong wills and simply did whatever was necessary to receive at least a small amount of faith.  
  
Just completing it would feel satisfying. Perhaps therapeutic, even. It wouldn't actually solve her problems, but it would certainly help her with finding out what the theoretical provider of a solution to them would look like.  
  
With that in mind, Keiki continued working diligently. She started talking quietly to encourage herself to keep going.  
  
Naturally, art can augment reality. Sometimes in ways not expected even by the author. Her pursuits were much less futile than she thought.  
  


* * *

“Just a tiny bit more...”  
  
One thing only noticeable from a much closer distance was the constant whispering. The sculptor chattered with her thoughts, seemingly constantly, but it was virtually impossible to hear her from the opposite end of the large hall. The spirit only noticed when she came almost too close.  
  
“So close.”  
  
A deeply self-centered thought went through the spirit's mind: was the sculptor talking to her? Calling her, even, perhaps? Inviting her to follow her lead and complete the lifelike statue by giving it a consciousness...  
  
No, of course not. She was not the kind of spirit easy to notice by others, especially not by someone of this caliber, someone whose crafts could likely house any spirit imaginable. She was not worthy in her current state.  
  
“Hold still, we can finish this tonight.”  
  
But she could become something different. Or rather, someone. In fact, just becoming someone in the first place would help, as it would be difficult to move closer to the new nebulous goal with a barely defined incorporeal form.  
  
And the means for accomplishing that were right in front of her. Alongside the demiurge of her personal reality.  
  
“You're a special one, you know that, right?”  
  
She was practically floating right behind the statue now. Moving any closer would open the possibility of entering it.  
  
All it required was a single move. A move she desired to make with all her being anyway. What was the risk here?  
  
The only risks were these which would come from not doing it. She would go back to drifting aimlessly, forever haunted by the memories of this place and the missed opportunities. Of the body she almost obtained, of the hands which were able of creating the perfect vessels of spirits, and of the life she could've had.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Naturally, it was impossible to foresee what obtaining a body would feel like. This arguably made it easier – fear of the unknown needed tall tales to sustain itself, without them it was not all that hard to simply confront the unknown head on.  
  
That's what the spirit did.  
  
At first, there was light. Then, darkness. Then she realized a disembodied half-life drastically limited the number of senses available to her and thus her perception of the world. She opened her eyes (light again) and tried looking around.  
  
Tried.  
  
As it quickly turned out, the nearly perfect imitation of life created from the combination of a spirit and a perfectly matched goshintai wasn't instantly capable of processing information delivered by her new senses. Even just being aware of her body's functions – those a form made out of magical clay from the bottom of hell possessed, that is – was a bit too much.  
  
However, among the onslaught of stimuli, there was a single one which stood apart. A guiding hand in the slightly overwhelming, but potentially satisfying, new life.  
  
“It's soft...?”  
  
Said metaphorical hand more or less corresponded to Keiki's own, currently used to check the shaping of certain details on the former statue and current host of a formerly disembodied being.  
  
“Your hand is soft too,” the new entity replied mechanically, without considering any potential consequences of making her arrival known this way.  
  
To be fair, she had a lot on her mind. Loss of her spiritual nature, for one. Puzzling new feelings. A whole set of new senses she previously had no access to, offering her a barrage of experiences she didn't know about – or rather, forgot she ever knew about. Or at least that she was once a part of someone who did, perhaps. Origin of spirits can be, after all, unclear.  
  
“Oh,” Keiki whispered, moving her hand away from the chest of the new being.  
  
Of course. This was to be expected. Her actions were nothing but an unwanted intrusion, it was self-evident. Why didn't she consider this angle before? The answer was, doubtlessly, selfishness.  
  
“That's a first,” Keiki mumbled to herself, unaware of the inner turmoil unfolding inside what was merely one of her crafts a few minutes ago.  
  
“I didn't mean to,” the spirit began, trying to think of a way to justify herself. It was not easy, considering she was barely able to control the basic functions of her new body for now. Mastering speech came naturally – after all even a temporary possession of a medium allowed that, let alone obtaining a body. Gestures and expressions were much more difficult.  
  
“Usually they're not very talkative when they come to life,” Keiki continued, carefully observing the former statue in front of her. She took a small wooden tablet out of one of her apron's many pockets and wrote something down.  
  
Clearly her actions disturbed something important, and had to be documented properly as such. The fact that as soon as the maker of her body turned her sight towards her strengthened that impression.  
“Do you have a name?”  
  
The casual tone was unexpected. So was the faint smile on her face. Was she happy with this turn of events?  
  
“A... name?”  
  
The spirit knew who she was, which was, to be fair, an impressive feat for someone belonging to this class of beings. She did not know how to describe that in more detail, or with a greater degree of precision, though. While a name, based on her limited knowledge, was the most precise way of describing someone there was.  
  
“You know, that magical formula you receive when you are born, literally or metaphorically, which binds you to a specific form. For example, mine is Keiki Haniyasushin, and it binds me to my existence as a sculptor god. It used to be a bit different, but I tweaked it to show I'm keeping up with the times,” she explained. She wasn't exactly keeping up with the times, of course, but she was sure this attempt counted for something. It also helped her with avoiding questions about her parents, which was a nice bonus. “If you don't have one yet, you're in luck! It only means you'll actually have input in picking it!”  
  
“Am I someone who can have a name?”  
  
“Why wouldn't you be?” This philosophical question posed no challenge for Keiki. Everything had names. Names defined reality by assigning meaning to people and objects. If meaning didn't exist yet, it had to be created. That's how gods came to be and that's how they spread their influence.  
  
“I took something you made as my body,” the spirit replied slowly. She was pretty sure she figured out the joints in her limbs already, but decided to avoid moving for now just in case. “And before that I was an insignificant spirit defined by nothing but desires. Is this an existence which warrants a name?”  
  
“Well, most other haniwa are content with only having numbers, but none of them started this stage of their life by commenting on my hands. I'd say you did more than enough to qualify,” Keiki smiled again, writing something down.  
  
“I... I want a name, then,” the nameless being replied. Getting a name would definitely move the two of them closer, as she concluded. It was more than fine to desire it, then. After all it's just a way to find out how to pay back the debt she now owed to this entity.  
  
Additionally, as far as she could tell, Keiki – she was glad to finally know her name – had a knack for picking fitting names. Her own certainly described her aptly.  
  
“Great. That's the spirit,” Keiki congratulated her. She hid the tablet in a different pocket than she took it out from, as the former was now occupied by a few brushes and a file, collected hastily from her workplace. “I'd offer you a seat, but I don't really have any in here. Hopefully the table will do?”  
  
The spirit nodded awkwardly, deciding it's time to showcase her grasp of the body she took for herself.  
  
“Take your time with getting here, I know it's going to be awkward to move at first,” the sculptor encouraged her.  
  
Keeping track of the direction in which her knees could bend was quite difficult, but after a few tries she managed to make the two steps necessary to reach the table and turn around to sit down. It's likely it would've taken much less time if she was all on her own.  
  
They were right next to each other now.  
  
This has proven itself to be much more challenging than anticipated. Both of them desperately wanted to get closer to each other after the unique fortunate circumstances permitted it. Neither knew how to accomplish that – one out of lack of experience, after all it's been still the same night on which she became a coherent whole; the other due to centuries of isolated lifestyle.  
  
“So... what sort of name do you think would suit you?”  
  
Such a question was far from the optimal method of breaking the ice, but Keiki's line of thought followed impeccable logic, at least in her mind. It was widely known that it was easier to socialize with people with whom one is on a name basis. It had occurred to her that assigning a name to the new haniwa would bring them there.  
  
“If that's an acceptable request, I would like to have a name like yours,” the former spirit replied after thinking for a bit. She was less and less keen on remaining nameless with each passing minute, as she noticed. “I trust you with picking it.”  
  
This was a complex task, without a doubt. Equally, if not more, difficult as what the human spirits expected from her. But she didn't consider herself a force of creation for nothing.  
  
She ran out of tablets for taking notes by the time all possible options were written down. However, it seemed a fitting combination did emerge.  
  
“How about... Mayumi? It's a nice, cute name,” Keiki asked, handing one of the tablets over to the former statue. The writing she went with was unconventional, with the first logogram replaced with one referring to the action of polishing, as if to subtly highlight the amount of work which went into this body.  
  
“I do like how it sounds,” fresh recipient of a name nodded enthusiastically.  
  
“I'm glad, Mayumi” Keiki smiled. “You'll need a surname too. If you don't mind, I'd like to make it hint at your purpose, also like mine. ”  
  
“What is my purpose... Lady Keiki?”  
  
“Good question! I never really expected my finest creation will come to life,” replied Keiki. She had to admit to herself that being addressed as “Lady Keiki” in this specific tone, by someone with a direct personal connection to her, was exactly as enjoyable as she imagined in her attempts at reverse engineering the courtly atmosphere she vaguely remembered. Perhaps a bit more, even. “Most haniwa were made with only one purpose in mind – defending this realm from external threats. But it's clear to me you could be much more.”  
  
“I never expected I will have a chance to come fully alive, either,” said Mayumi. “I hope I can be of use to you.”  
  
Keiki, already in high spirits, blushed after hearing that. It felt as if all her vague dreams coalesced into this spirit who decided to inhabit her finest creation yet.  
  
“I considered making you... an idol of sorts. An example for the other haniwa to follow,” Keiki explained slowly. This was the logical course of action. Her army needed a leader, and Mayumi was more than suitable for this role just by the virtue of showing a degree of initiative. The conclusions based on observations written down on her tablets were clear – all her problems could be solved at once. “A commander for my Haniwa Army Corps. Mayumi Joutougu. A haniwa of many talents.”  
  
This was not a very creative surname, but it only made sense to apply the highest millitary title she was aware of toMayumi. A single small tweak was necessary, after all she was an idol rather than a human. The suffix had to reflect that.  
  
Mayumi was blushing too. For the first time in her life, she felt needed. She fulfilled her deepest desire, too. And the person who enabled that was sitting right next to hear, speaking favourably about her potential future.  
  
Truly, she was the happiest combination of a disembodied spirit and a work of art in all six realms of rebirth right now.  
  
“I will try my best to live up to your expectations, Lady Keiki,” she mumbled.  
  
“There's a number of skills you'll have to master before your public debut can happen, of course.”  
  
“What skills, Lady Keiki?”  
  
It hardly mattered what they were. She was determined to show her gratitude in any form necessary. And if she mastered her new joints so quickly, nothing was impossible to learn.  
  
“Fencing, archery, handling polearms, mounted combat, strategy and tactics,” Keiki recited. “That's more or less what your position will require. There are many dangers in this realm that you and your soon to be subordinates must keep at bay, and sometimes possessing an indestructible body is not enough in itself...”  
  
“I shall dedicate myself to studying them until I'll be able to become your pride and joy, Lady Keiki.”  
  
Mayumi bowed her head, expecting further orders.  
  
Instead, she felt Keiki's hand ruffling her hair.  
  
“No need to rush it, though,” she whispered into her ear. “I didn't say you have to do it right away.”  
  
After all, there was a lot to learn about not being lonely first.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write this pretty much since I read the endings - the goshintai references make it seem like the haniwa are powered by some sort of spirit that's elevated to a godly rank by Keiki's idolatrous creed. She's dressed like a kind of haniwa thought to represent shrine maidens or mediums so it only made sense she'd invoke, rather than create, spirits. ZUN comparing her to an idol producer strenghtened this impression. 
> 
> One more thing I wanted to explore from the start is that the haniwa shown in spell cards look much less lifelike than Mayumi. I found the possibility she looks like that because she wanted to potentially interesting. 
> 
> There's a hidden reference to Ovid's version of the tale of Pygmalion in the fic, also.
> 
> Keiki/Mayumi ended up as my third favourite Touhou pairing overall (after Mokou/Keine and Junko/Hecatia) so expect more as soon as my current ongoing long fic is done.


End file.
